IBM did, however, announce a realignment of duties among senior US executives: George Conrades, senior vice president, becomes general manager of IBM US taking on profit responsibility for the US business and continues to report to Terry Lautenbach, also a senior vice president, who had that responsibility and the US general manager title; Lautenbach will add to his duties the responsibility for IBM manufacturing world-wide – he already controlled US manufacturing and world-wide product development; Conrades and Lautenbach are two of the three candidates mentioned most frequently as being in the running to succeed Chairman John Akers, 56, when he retires at age 60 with the third runner being Mike Armstrong, senior vice president, responsible for IBM’s international operations.
